If you’re anything like me, you’re a little lazy about cleaning your makeup brushes after using them. If you are anything like me, you’ll want to change your habits after learning that not cleaning your brushes often makes them much less effective and a possible hygiene hazard. Cleaning your brushes allows you to make the most of your makeup and prevent the breakouts and clogged pores that occur when you use dirty makeup brushes. To help you change your ways towards a cleaner beauty future, we’ve collected the best advice on how to clean your makeup brushes.

There are many methods for cleaning your makeup brushes, and most of them are quick cleans that involve handy household products. Depending on what you have in your house, you can use baby shampoo, olive oil, or plain soap. Although the process is similar for each, here are the specific instructions for each so you can decide which is best for you.

Baby shampoo

1. Run lukewarm water over your brushes, rinsing them of residual makeup.

2. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and a squirt of shampoo. Twirl the tip of your brush in the water, or swirl it in the palm of your hand to get more of a reaction.

3. Rinse the brush under running water.

4. Repeat until the water runs clear out of the brush.

5. Use a cloth to wipe the bush and lay it flat to air dry.

Olive oil

1. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil onto a clean sponge.

2. Swirl the brushes over the surface of the sponge and try to saturate the bristles with olive oil.

3. Swirl until the makeup residue is all on the sponges and you can swirl without leaving a trace.

4. Rinse the brushes under warm running water. Rotate them to thoroughly remove all the olive oil.

5. Reshape the bristles and lay the brushes to dry on a clean towel.

Alternatively, you could mix a solution of two parts antibacterial soap and one part on a clean plate and swirl it on the palm of your hand. After rinsing, ensure that you lay your brush to dry on an angle so that the barrel of your brush doesn’t get wet.

Soap

1. Wet a plain bar of soap with warm water in a bowl.

2. Swirl the tips of your brushes over the soap and work up a lather. Try not to get the soap in the barrel as this may loosen the glue.

3. Rinse the brushes under warm water.

4. Lay the brushes flat to air dry after reshaping the bristles.

Brush Cleaner

If you’d rather use a specialised cleaning formula instead of household products, there are plenty available. Our picks for the best makeup brush cleaners are these three cleaners:

• ‘Brush with Success’ from Mecca Cosmetica (150ml) for $24

• ‘Brush Cleaner’ by Artiste (100ml) at Priceline for $16

• ‘Silicone Cleaning Spray’ by Foreo (30ml) at Sephora for $12

If you’ve decided to cleanse your brushes with a special product, all your have to do is saturate the bristles and then wipe the brush on a dry paper towel. Repeat until your brush isn’t producing any old makeup, and then bend the bristles back into shape.

If you’re unable to do your weekly clean, give your brushes a thorough monthly cleanse by soaking the brush in a warm cup of water with detergent. Then rinse the brush under a tap while swirling the tip of the brush on a white plate, so you can see when the water is running clear. When the water is clear, your brush is clean. Then manipulate the bristles of the brush back into their original position with clean fingers and lay it flat to air dry.